National Security Correspondent J.J. Green has traveled three continents covering intelligence, terrorism, and security issues. From Afghanistan to Africa, Iraq to Ireland, there isn't anywhere J.J. won't go, nor anyone he won't talk with, to get the stories affecting the defense and national security communities.

The United States is standing up a military command center to fight the Ebola epidemic in Monrovia, Liberia. President Barack Obama said Tuesday the command structure is already in place to direct a major U.S. effort to build clinics, circulate supplies and train health care workers. According to the White House, the effort will involve up to 3,000 troops and more than $500 million in spending.

On Monday, a military judge overseeing the trial of an accused al Qaeda leader heard arguments about what information can be released during his upcoming trial. The concern is that national security could be jeopardized. The suspect, Abd al Hadi al Iraqi, is accused of being a senior al Qaeda commander who conspired to bomb Western forces in Afghanistan and of killing civilians and U.S. soldiers.

American forces are converging on Guam this month. A week of sophisticated military exercises involving two aircraft carriers is planned. In all, 19 ships, 200 aircraft and 18,000 servicemen and women will practice searching for submarines, stopping suspect vessels at sea and using a new missile defense system recently set up on Guam.

Court martial has been recommended for a Marine accused of deserting his unit a decade ago in Iraq and later winding up in Lebanon for eight years. Cpl. Wassef Hassoun, 34, face a general court martial on charges including desertion and theft. A Marine general will have the final say on whether to try Hassoun. He disappeared in 2004 from his posting in Fallujah, Iraq.

The U.S. has promised to stand by Iraq as its new leaders appealed for help in facing the deadly insurgency from ISIL. Secretary of State John Kerry made the pledges during a daylong visit to Baghdad, just as President Barack Obama prepared to outline his strategy for defeating the Islamic State militant group.

As the 13th anniversary of the September 11th attacks approaches, there are no specific threats against Washington or New York, but authorities are concerned about the rising power of militant groups around the world, which presents a complex terrorism picture. New York and Washington are still the top terrorist targets but U.S. intelligence officials recognize that the rest of the country is just a vulnerable.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to review a program that provides high-powered rifles and other surplus military equipment to civilian police departments across the country. The Senate's second ranking Democrat on Friday said he has long been concerned about their use of military equipment and military-style tactics by local police departments. He said the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer gives "new urgency" to a review of the Pentagon program.

Secretary Hagel met Thursday with Ukraine Minister of Defense Colonel General Valeriy Heletey to discuss the ongoing security situation in Ukraine. The two leaders spoke on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Wales. Hagel praised the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces in their current engagements in Eastern Ukraine and pledged continued U.S. support for their efforts. Minister Heletey thanked Secretary Hagel for that support, which includes millions of dollars of non-lethal material and assistance.

Standing in Estonia on Russia's doorstep, President Barack Obama says, "this is a moment of testing" for the Western alliance to stand up to the Kremlin. This came as the Pentagon announced that 200 U.S. soldiers would participate in an exercise in western Ukraine starting next week. It's symbolic, but the message is strong. It's the first time American ground troops have been in Ukraine since the crisis began.

Western allies have approved plans to position at least 4,000 troops and military equipment in Eastern Europe, increasing NATO's security commitments to jittery member states near the Russian border. This come just as an important NATO summit that begins Thursday. President Barack Obama will be there and will visit Estonia for meetings with Baltic leaders.

Russia is ready for talks on resuming gas supplies to Ukraine, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday, warning of disruption to flows to Europe this winter if a row over pricing and debts was not resolved. The EU says gas must not be used as a diplomatic weapon. Novak said Moscow was ready to reduce its prices in an effort to secure a deal, but the proposed sum remained well above what Kiev has said it is willing to pay.

Several European Union foreign ministers have accused Russia of invading eastern Ukraine and said Moscow should be punished with more sanctions. The meeting of the 28-nation bloc's top diplomats in Milan came one day after NATO said Moscow has slipped at least 1,000 Russian soldiers and much heavy weaponry into Ukraine.

The Pentagon may need to ask Congress for more money if the Obama administration steps up attacks against ISIL. DoD has not yet stated publicly how much it has spent so far in the fight against ISIL. The U.S. operation in Iraq so far has included relief drops of 636 bundles of food, water and medical supplies, at least 100 air strikes and about 60 reconnaissance aircraft missions a day.

A two-star Army general blamed for failing to properly investigate sexual assault and other allegations against a colonel on his staff will be retired with one star the Army announced Wednesday. The Associated Press's Robert Burns writes, "The decision by Army Secretary John M. McHugh comes more than a year after Maj. Gen. Michael T. Harrison was suspended from his duties as commander of U.S. Army forces in Japan. His case has been cited as evidence of why sex-crime victims say they don't trust the military to protect them, despite efforts by senior Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, to make commanders accountable."

Despite U.S. warnings, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates secretly carried out airstrikes against Islamist militias inside Libya. This comes three years after the killing of Libyan dictator Muamar Ghadafi and U.S. efforts to try to stabilize the country. "Outside interference in Libya exacerbates current divisions and undermines Libya's democratic transition," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said to reporters.

The Pentagon has worked up plans that would allow American forces to remain in Afghanistan beyond the end of the year if the contested presidential election drags on and a security agreement isn't signed soon. The Associate Press is reporting that shortly before landing in Kabul for a visit, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, told reporters accompanying him on the trip that under optimal circumstances the U.S. would need about 120 days to pull all troops and equipment out of the country if there is no agreement allowing them to stay into 2015.